Nielsen Ratings System

[SapphirePrima]

Nielsen Television Ratings are gathered by one of two ways; by extensive use of surveys, where viewers of various demographics are asked to keep a written record (called a diary) of the television programming they watch throughout the day and evening, or by the use of Set Meters, which are small devices connected to every television in selected homes. These devices gather the viewing habits of the home and transmit the information nightly to Nielsen through a "Home Unit" connected to a phone line. Set Meter information allows market researchers to study television viewing habits on a minute to minute basis, seeing the exact moment viewers change channels or turn off their TV. In addition to this technology, the implementation of individual viewer reporting devices (called people meters) allow the company to separate household viewing information into various demographic groups. In 2005, Nielsen began measuring the usage of digital video recordings (TiVo, for example) and initial results indicate that time-shifted viewing will have a significant impact on television ratings. The networks are not yet figuring these new results into their ad rates at the resistance of advertisers.[

via Wikipedia

So is this rating system even acurate? If they select people randomly, that's not a total count of whose been watching the shows anyway. I don't know anyone whose been asked to do it, nor have I ever heard of anyone whose done it. Have any of you guys been apart of this?

 

[Harlekin]

It's a very small amount of people, but it definitely works. It's basically done like every other survey. You can't ask everybody.

 

[ttotheusher]

Surely they should start working a device in cable boxes that record what you watch.

 

[SapphirePrima]

Surely they should start working a device in cable boxes that record what you watch.

See that's how I always thought it worked, till I looked up Nielsen's. It makes more sense than using this survey thing. I would think that they are working on something like that now, so the results would be better.

But has anyone ever participated in the survey?

 

[deathshead2]

See that's how I always thought it worked, till I looked up Nielsen's. It makes more sense than using this survey thing. I would think that they are working on something like that now, so the results would be better.

But has anyone ever participated in the survey?

I have. it's pretty cool you get paid three bucks. You don't even have to mail the survey in if you don't want to, all I did was write in random shows I liked and sent them in. Wheather I watched that show or not.

 

[SapphirePrima]

I have. it's pretty cool you get paid three bucks. You don't even have to mail the survey in if you don't want to, all I did was write in random shows I liked and sent them in. Wheather I watched that show or not.

Okay I've done the radio, one.
But how do they do the daily ratings? They call during like 8 and ask "What are you watching right now?"

 

[deathshead2]

Okay I've done the radio, one.
But how do they do the daily ratings? They call during like 8 and ask "What are you watching right now?"

Don't know about daily ratings. I just did the diary weekly one, but I might have got a phone call once from them. Can't really remember.

 

[Harlekin]

Daily ratings are done through the boxes, I would imagine.

And installing that kind of stuff in everyone's television is kind of an invasion of privacy.

 

[GhostPoet]

It's extremely flawed. At least until they started to count DVR/TIVO (assuming they count DVR)

Heck...I have 2 episodes of a couple series that I haven't watched yet and they are over a week old. I still watch them though.

I NEVER watch live.

 

[Harlekin]

Yeah, but the live ratings are what it's about. It's about advertisements, which you can just skip over with Tivo.

 

[SapphirePrima]

Yeah, but the live ratings are what it's about. It's about advertisements, which you can just skip over with Tivo.

Well I think they're going to have to do something else when comes to rating soon. People aren't watching Live tv as much as they used to. Alot of people download online or watch online.

Networks are cancelling shows when they aren't getting proper numbers of whose watching.

 

[Harlekin]

Which is why people should be watching live if they can. Advertisements control the shows.

There's nothing wrong with the ratings system. The problem lies with the people.

 

[BlackLantern]

Agreed....when I've been to SDCC...any Sci Fi channel panels I go to, they always ask people to watch live if they can....

 

[SapphirePrima]

Well, the system is flawed.

I mean, I try to watch my favorite shows live, I love tv, but my life doesn't revolve around it.

 

[Harlekin]

What's actually flawed?

Shows need advertising money to survive.
Ratings decide how much they can ask for advertisements.
People don't watch -> no advertising -> cancelled show.

It doesn't keep your favourite shows on the air, but it works, and is logical.

 

[Superfreak]

Which is why people should be watching live if they can. Advertisements control the shows.

There's nothing wrong with the ratings system. The problem lies with the people.

1)a huge BS on that one. it is they who have to adapt to the market, not the market that has to adapt to the business. If we're downloading more, then they have to deal with it. Life if hard, evolve. Encouraging people to watch live is a giant step backward in television/technological development. It's almost on par with saying: only analogue counts for ratings, so everybody give up their digital television because ratings are being hurt. bwhahahaa


2)I would never buy cable that records what I watch, and sends the list of things I've watched back to the cable company. Privacy Invasion much

 

[BlackLantern]

1)a huge BS on that one. it is they who have to adapt to the market, not the market that has to adapt to the business. If we're downloading more, then they have to deal with it. Life if hard, evolve. Encouraging people to watch live is a giant step backward in television/technological development. It's almost on par with saying: only analogue counts for ratings, so everybody give up their digital television because ratings are being hurt. bwhahahaa


2)I would never buy cable that records what I watch, and sends the list of things I've watched back to the cable company. Privacy Invasion much

1) It's a business model that IS evoloving....Feb. next year, analog signals are being shut down and all stations will be broadcasting in digital.

2) How is it a privacy issue?....the box and the service are the property of the cable company, satellite company, or what have you, you are merely renting the box and service for the time being(it even says that on your service agreement, though no one ever bothers to read it). Most any recording device (be it DVR, TiVo is monitored by some sort of network somewhere)...how do you think TiVo knows that the Janet Jackson nipple fiasco was the most TiVo'd instance of the year???

 

[Harlekin]

1)a huge BS on that one. it is they who have to adapt to the market, not the market that has to adapt to the business. If we're downloading more, then they have to deal with it. Life if hard, evolve. Encouraging people to watch live is a giant step backward in television/technological development. It's almost on par with saying: only analogue counts for ratings, so everybody give up their digital television because ratings are being hurt. bwhahahaa

That's not on par at all. Digital television still carries advertisements. Yes, you can still skip them if you're recording it, but that's not much of a blow. However, if you're downloading, you're not seeing the commercials and, as odd as that may sound, directly hurting the show since you're not 'paying' for it. If there's not any money being made, the show doesn't get made. So, really, tell me whose responsible in this case: the 'consumer' or the provider? In this case, bub, it's you, the consumer.

Supply and demand, that's what it's all about.

 

[DBM]

Frankly, Nielsen is pretty much useless anymore. The company is having a real problem staying in business. NPR did some coverage on them a couple months back and the company spokesman had nothing but spin on how they were "shifting their dynamic range of services" and "looking into new methods of analysis" and crap..

Back in the day when their were only a few channels and everyone got their TV through an antenna, Nielsen was the go-to company to get info but today they're becoming unnecessary. Every cable and satellite provider can tell exactly what you are watcing at any time now and they can provide more accurate info that Nielson does. And it's not an invasion of privacy at all because the way contracts are worded with the cable or satellite provider, it includes a provision for them to monitor your viewing habits.

I don't see Nielsen, and their outdated methods, being in business more than a few more years.

 

[BlackLantern]

a friend of mine who used to work for a division of Nielsen just had her division outsourced....so something seems to be happening at Nielsen....

 

[SapphirePrima]

Frankly, Nielsen is pretty much useless anymore. The company is having a real problem staying in business. NPR did some coverage on them a couple months back and the company spokesman had nothing but spin on how they were "shifting their dynamic range of services" and "looking into new methods of analysis" and crap..

Back in the day when their were only a few channels and everyone got their TV through an antenna, Nielsen was the go-to company to get info but today they're becoming unnecessary. Every cable and satellite provider can tell exactly what you are watcing at any time now and they can provide more accurate info that Nielson does. And it's not an invasion of privacy at all because the way contracts are worded with the cable or satellite provider, it includes a provision for them to monitor your viewing habits.

I don't see Nielsen, and their outdated methods, being in business more than a few more years.

ITA, that's why I was surprised about how ratings are done, now.

If worst comes to worst, they can do product placements on the shows.

 

[JLBats]

Oh, it's not just inaccurate.

It's HIGHLY inaccurate.

I barely even watch TV on the actual TV anymore, but I've still probably invested in the actual CONTENT way more than the average channel surfing viewer who happens to drunkenly stumble upon the show.

I think DVD sales should matter wayyyyy more than viewership numbers. DVD buyers have already proved they're willing to spend money on this show. I'm not going to say I foresee a major shift in how this kinda thing works, but it's less due to logic and more due to the general stupidity of the folk who run things.

Also, probably more convenient to just plow ahead with this tried-and-kinda-sorta-true method.

 

[Hypestyle]

hehheh... i've never known any family/person to have one of those boxes.. and why has this process never been profiled on a news show? hmm...

 

[Harlekin]

But it's not about content, is it? It's about money.

Good to have you back JLBats, by the way.

 

[JLBats]

You're one of the few pleasantly remembered familiar faces.